


Dresses & Stars

by TheRaptorOFire



Series: Amelia/Cullen [18]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dancing, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 04:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4125825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRaptorOFire/pseuds/TheRaptorOFire





	Dresses & Stars

Cullen paced back and forth, walked around his desk then back to pacing. Any moment now the Inquisitor would be walking through that door, and he was not prepared. He was supposed to go to the party with her, Amelia hated parties and he was in here avoiding it. She probably was wearing armor to stick it to the nobles –

Cullen jumps to the door slamming open, he tried to make it look like it was intentional; couldn’t have the Commander seem scared of his own office door opening.

“Inqui –“

Amelia puts her hand up to stop him, and he does. She rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh. “Commander, if I’m forced to go to this soiree then you are too.”

Cullen stared, mouth slightly ajar. He’d never seen the Inquisitor wear any formal wear, never looked so  _beautiful._  Or has he just never taken a good look at the person he’d been calling friend?

Amelia looked a bit uncomfortable out of her armor, but she _owned_ that outfit.

She was wearing a crimson red dress; red always did look perfect on her; the neck line was decorated with golden rims, shaped in small flowers. Could tell she was wearing a corset of some kind, her breasts were pushed up almost spilling out of their confinement. He could see the faint pale traces of the scars over her shoulders, and as his eyes trail down he notices the intricate patterns the gold strings made, looping around bodice. There were small droplet shapes circling around her hips, fading off as the end of the dress hit the floor. Her lush red hair was up in an elegant bun, showing off her neck, a few wisps of hair fighting against the bun, and instead of her normal dark red lipstick she was wearing a deep black.

Cullen started wondering what it would be like to have her lips on his, what they would feel like- taste like, what the formal wear would look like in a pile on his floor –

He mentally shook his head, locking the door and throwing away the key. This was the  _Inquisitor_ ; his  _friend_.

“Cullen?” Her voice was of concern now. He had been staring at her for almost two minutes.

“I’ll be ready in a bit, just ah, wait for me?”

Amelia stares because that’s what she does, but obliges as he motions his hand to the door and waits for him outside.

He scrambles to change, but can’t shake the thoughts. Could he- does he- No he can’t, they are in the middle of a war, she is the Inquisitor and he the Commander. Such a relationship would not work, there was no way. Cullen bites on his lower lip as he looks into the small mirror above the basin of water. He splashes his face with water then continues.

Amelia taps her foot, leaning against the stone of the walkway; if Josephine found out certainly she would have a heart attack. It’s not long before Cullen emerges from the door, dresses in a Militaristic coat with golden buttons and soft, dark brown leather breeches.

Amelia lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and walks with him to the main hall.

* * *

Cullen spends the majority of the party standing in his own little corner near the Library rotunda. The Inquisitor is walking around greeting all kinds of Nobles from both the Marches, Orlais, and Ferelden. At one point he could have  _sworn_  she made a cheesy pun to the King of Ferelden.

He stood far away as possible, not to give her some space, but to give  _him_  some space. As Amelia walked through the hall all Cullen could think of was her. How her hair bounced as she took a step, the way the skirt of the dress fluttered when a breeze hit the room.

Had prayed to Andraste, to the Maker, to whoever was listening that he could fight these thoughts, but it seemed a hopeless dream.  

Amelia would occasionally look over her shoulder at him, her soft smile and warm golden eyes; it was like the sun was in his face, couldn’t look for more than a few seconds.

Had he always felt this way about her? There were times his mind did wonder, not to mention all the flirting. But they were harmless, meant nothing more right? There was no way. But when he looked at her, watched as she took some nobles hand; probably Josephine’s doing; his hand clenched into a fist and his blood boiled in his veins. She looked uncomfortable, it would make sense for any man to want to ease that. Cullen wanted nothing more than to be the one dancing with her – No he couldn’t.

Amelia turns, dipping the man at the end of the dance; yes it is the other way around but she’d be damned to make him a fool. She bows, not curtsies to the man and flashes her eyes to Cullen.

He gulps as she walks over. She’s right in front of him, giving him her smile that emphasizes the scar on the curve of her full lips.

“Would you like to dance, Cullen?”

 _No, I don’t dance_. He wants to say, but his head disagrees with him and nods to her request.

Amelia takes his hand, gently, reassuringly as she leads him to the middle of the hall.

“Templar’s didn’t dance.” He admits in a whisper for only her ears.

“That would have worked on someone who wasn’t a Templar.” She smiles up at him, leading his hand to her waist and twining the other in her fingers. “Just follow my lead, you’ll be fine.”

He nods as the music starts. Slow. Good he can work with that.

His hands are trembling, and sweat starts to bead at the nape of his neck.  _There is no need to be nervous, it’s just a dance between friends, colleges_. Why is he nervous? But she leads him, they twirl in place, her feet like a graceful wind as she steps back and he follows. Them dancing together has their faces so close to each other,  _her face is so close_. He could kiss her if he wanted to – Wait where did that come from? Cullen mentally shakes his head, as he’s had to do more times than ever this one evening. When the music stops and she stands before him, she curtsies, and he bows before taking his leave.

He needs a cool bath after that.

* * *

 

Everyone mutters around the Herald’s rest. Iron Bull takes notice that for the last few days Amelia has been in here, seemingly drinking her worries away. Which wouldn’t grab his attention if it wasn’t for the fact every time she was here was during the time designated to her sparring session with Cullen, something everyone knew she looked forward to.  

“Boss” He says in an unusually soft voice, putting his hand on her shoulder.

She motions for him that he can sit next to her. Amelia chugs down the last of her drink before waving her hand for a barmaid.

“Boss what is with you? You’ve been here sitting in a pile of your own stew for the past 5 days.”

Amelia looks at him in the corner of her eyes. Eyes that look extremely tired. She sighs, “It’s nothing Bull.”

“Nothing? Gulping down 5 mugs of Ferelden ale is nothing?”

Amelia puts her mug down and turns to face him. “Cullen has been avoiding me since that stupid party. During war meetings he just stares down at his hand or the map, and every time I try to talk to him in his office he claims official business and takes his leave – “

Bull takes the mug away from her when she attempts to take another drink. “Look normally I would let you drink, boss. But this is fucking stupid. Are you really going to let this ruin your friendship with him?”

“He clearly doesn’t – Son of a – !“

Bull slapped her on the back of her head. As she rubs the spot, Bull looks at her straight in the eyes: “Boss you need to talk to him. This is not you, you cut Venatori head’s clean off; which mind you is sexy as hell;” Amelia chuckles at that, “The Boss I know would never let someone throw her around like a rag doll. You understand me?”

Amelia’s eyes widen at his words, yes she does understand. Bull is right. She stands up, surprisingly well considering the amount of ale she’s had; If Cullen doesn’t want to be friends than he should say it to her face. And with that she walks to his office.

Cullen jumps at the sound of the door slamming open; again.  Amelia stands there, shoulders straight and arms folded on her chest. She was blocking the door and before he could move, she’s walked over to the other doors and locked them. He gulps, putting the report in his hands back down on the desk.

“Inquisitor i have to –“

“No. You will not make any more excuses, you’re going to tell me why you’ve been avoiding me. _Now_.” She tells him sternly, anger bubbling up slowly in her words.

Cullen sighs, walking to her.

“What did I do Cullen? Was the dance to much? You could have said no if you didn’t want to, friends don’t just start ignoring each other for no reason. So what is it? Do you not want to be friends?”

“No.”

There’s a tug at her heart. Amelia had braced herself before entering his office, building up the strength to take anything he said, even if it meant losing a friend, losing him. She’d built up her walls, fortified them for an attack like in the heat of battle, but even then, hearing him actually say it; feels like a thousand boulders just fell on her. If a heart could literally tear apart; at this moment it probably happened. He was her friend: Best friend out of them all. Understood her the most, made her happy when nothing else worked and now he was throwing it all away, for one stupid dance.

Despite the clear pain she stands tall, chin up and shoulder's straight like any warrior. She wasn't Amelia, no he clearly wanted her the Inquisitor. “I see. Then I shall leave you to your work, Commander.” She tells him in an even, stern voice, trailing at the end.

When she grips the door he’s curling his fingers around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. “You didn’t let me finish.” He pauses as her eyes appraise him, looking for something; or perhaps she is sizing him up, making her strategy to ‘cut him down’.

“I’m waiting _Commander_.”

His eyes flutter down to her lips before looking back at her eyes. Lifting his hand he cups her cheek, tracing the scars on her face, softly, tenderly like he’s afraid he’ll hurt her. He can feel the heat coming from her as well as see it. Heart drumming against his chest, and she’s no longer giving him the glare, no her eyes are just as wide to his touch.

“I don’t want to be  _just_  friends. I want… I want…” He stumbles around, trying to put the words in his head out seeming harder then he’d thought. There is so much that can and will probably go wrong -

Amelia runs her hands up his neck, coming to hold his jaw, her eyes warm and crumbling any fears he had. Even as she pulls him down to level and covers his mouth with hers, he’s unable to close his eyes till the last second, his heart is beating a thousand times a second. Leaning into his touch, she pulls in closer, soft sighs and hums of approval steal any resolve he had, any worries he thought would happen, all that matters at this moment is that her lips are on his. Cullen moves his hand to her head, gloved fingers tangling in her hair, tilting her for a better angle. Her mouth is so warm, inviting, soft,  _safe_ ; his senses are put in over drive, smelling, tasting everything. Cullen darts his tongue out, tasting her lips and his knees are ready to buckle when she opens and give him entrance.

There are so many things he could say to describe this moment, so many ways to describe  _her_.

Amelia moves her mouth to the scar, kissing it gently before moving back to his lips. Involuntary moans tear through him when their tongues caress, languid, the fervent passion giving way to calm.

After what seems like hours he pulls away, her bottom lip sucked between his lips before so, he looks at her with lidded eyes; still not sure that actually happened. They stand in his office, breathing heavy, lips kiss-swollen and panting.

He rests his forehead on hers, arms wrapped around her waist. Amelia smiles, she can feel his heart beat even under all the layers, almost like it’s inside her own chest.

“So not friends huh?” She breathlessly jokes, pulling away from him. Cullen chuckles, shaking his head.

“I suppose you already know the answer.”

Amelia nods, “I might know the answer… will you stop avoiding me now?” A laugh bubbles in her throat and before she can say anything else, Cullen covers her lips with his again. Smiling and nodding his head as her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck.


End file.
